The Secret Garden
by Rhiannon15
Summary: I wanted to do a Secret Garden remake Smallville style a la the musical. There’s the housemanor on the hill, and a dead mother named Lilly, Lillian. I always did think Archibald was the bad guy. Minorly Clexy.


Title: Secret Garden  
Author: Rhea  
Rating: PG-12  
Summary: I wanted to do a Secret Garden remake Smallville style, there's the house/manor on the hill, and a dead mother named Lilly (Lillian) there already, I wanted to have it more within the framework of the musical than the book (which I've sadly never read) or the movie which I don't remember. It sort of spun out from there. I always did think Archibald was the bad guy...This could be a WIP, but since I tied it up well enough for my own piece of mind I doubt it, unless as readers it doesn't sound like it ends. I think it's a fine conclusion but that's my mind. Minorly Clex-y

Clark pondered the bags lying next to him on the train platform. Now for the second time he was taking a life changing journey. Not that he remembered the first, this time however he certainly had more luggage. He was surprisingly dry eyed, or maybe aliens didn't cry when their adoptive parents were killed by a tornado. What was worse was the gut feeling that he could have. Should have done something. Rationally he knows it would have been impossible, the great chunk of glowing green meteor rock eight inches to his left made sure of that. The rescue team that found him said it was a miracle he was still alive. Clark knew miracles had nothing to do with it. He'd been in his room up stairs when it'd hit, grabbing something or sulking purposefully not with his parents who were waiting in the kitchen. If he hadn't dawdled, if he'd been down there with them. At lest he didn't hear or watch them die. Still he could have changed it, and that thought was all that mattered. Now he was waiting in the train station-cum-shelter with the rest of the houseless or family-less types waiting for his adoptive mother's sister's widow to come pick him up.  
Martha hadn't often spoken of her sister Lillain. Lilly was the elder and had died just after Clark had been taken in by the Kents. Clark might remember her funeral. Lots of people in black and his new mother red-eyed and teary, clinging to his new father Jonathan. The sisters had been close through her marriage had never sat right with Martha. Her husband had a lot of hair, like the main of one of those big African cats and a stern face. Clark hadn't spoken with Lionel but he remembered Jonathan glaring at the man after the service, Jonathan's cheeks were wet but Lionel hadn't shed a tear. Maybe they had something in common. Both family-less and unable, or unwilling to cry. Clark did remember the man had once had a son. The boy had been sick, Clark couldn't remember what had happened to him. Loosing a wife and child might be worse than loosing your adoptive parents. Either way his life was about to change. He scuffed his shoe on the tile floor and continued to wait.  
Eventually someone arrived to pick him up. He easily hoisted his own bags into the trunk and climbed in. The car was large and probably expensive. Clark remembered all the times his father spoke scornfully of the rich Mr. Luthor in his manor house on the hill. As they approached Clark saw less a house than a castle  
"My Uncle lives there?"  
"Yes, since he was a small boy himself. Sour young man he was,  
and got no good of all his money and a big place till he were married."  
"To my Aunt Lily?"  
"She were a sweet, pretty thing and he'd have walked the world over to get her a blade of grass that she wanted. When she died, it made him worse than ever."

Clark climbed out and dragged his bags with him up the front steps. It was a grand castle, clark and never visited before and so spent most of the walk to his new room open-mouthed and staring at the ornate woodwork and stone walls. Clark was lead a large room with bed and tall windows overlooking an expanse of green.   
"This will be your room" said the chauffer. "I'm sure you're exhausted. You had dinner at the station, am I correct?" Clark nodded mutely. "Well then, we'll see you in the morning. A chambermaid will bring you your breakfast. The master of the house will see you tomorrow." The man left Clark alone in the large cold room. He unpacked his bags and hung his clothes in the closets and drawers. There was a fluffy down comforter with a blue duvet on the bed. The bed was larger than his old one. Clark crawled into it and closed his eyes imagining that the wind howling outside the windows was his mother singing him to sleep. Actually the more he listened to it the more it sounded like a person crying. Clark closed his eyes tightly, it did not, could not sound like his mother. He waited for sleep to take him.

The next morning Clark woke up sleepily to find someone bustling about his room.  
"Wha!" He sat upright then clutched the duvet to him as a girl slightly older than he was bustled about the room. She glared over at him.  
"Well, get up already. I really hope you don't need me to help you dress. Baby's all of you. No one can take care of themselves these days. Up you get." She turned on her heal her ponytail whipping out behind her like weapon as she left the room. Clark slowly eased out of bed then raced to the closet grabbing a plaid flannel shirt and jeans, tugging them on. Just in time as the young woman strode back in. "Hurry up. I haven't got all day. Here's your breakfast." She sat a tray on the low round table. "You'll eat in here. The master will see you later, until then you're free to do as you please. By the way I'm Lois Lane, chamber maid extraordinaire, though that's a bit archaic in this day in age. I also work for the local paper, Mr. Luthor's press secretary when I'm not looking after his charges and the place. And you are Martha-Rose Kent's boy." Clark nodded.   
"I'm Clark." He said as he politely took a bite of the oatmeal she'd brought him. "This is good. So if I'm not to meet with my new guardian till later what should I do? What do you do for fun; can you tell me about this place?"  
"So many questions. Well I suppose I have a few moments to spare. Be happy Kent, my time is precious." She flipped her ponytail over her shoulder and settled to perch on the back of the chair across the table from him. "This place is the Luthor Manor, which you should know. It was brought over stone by stone from Scotland when Mr. Luthor was a much younger man. He brought it over because Lilly loved it so. They met in Scotland, touring this castle. Anyways, those days are long over, it's far too much upkeep and Mr. Luthor's not as he was, not since she died. He cares for no one and sees no one, locks himself in the library all day. He's a sad man. This really is no house for a child. But the gardens are nice. You see them there out your window. Lilly loved them so, and your mother. They spent hours tending gardens together before, well before so many things happened. You could go out and play. I've a skipping rope somewhere. And there's Chloe."  
"Chloe?" Clark asked, looking up from his oatmeal.   
"Yes, she's my little cousin; she lives near by and often comes to work in the garden. If you see her, introduce yourself, I'm sure you'd be friends. Now I've chickens to pluck and pillows to plump not to mention press releases so get moving." She withdrew a jump-rope from her apron pocket and thrust it at him, then hurried out. Clark stood, clutching the rope. He'd never been much for jump roping, he could jump the height of a house without much effort and it was hard to control the height of his jumps so the rope generally proved useless. He sighed and decided to figure out the way to the gardens. As he left he realized he'd forgotten to ask about the crying. Maybe the castle was haunted.

Clark wasn't out for long before he saw her. The blonde girl was halfway up a tree, hanging precariously. Clark got there just in the nick of time, rushing to catch her as the branch snapped. She looked up at him sheepishly as he set her back on her feet.  
"You must be Clark Kent." She said with a grin. "My cousin told me you were coming. Thanks for catching me. See up there." Mr. Robin and Mrs. Robin are making a next. I wanted to see if I could get close. They said it was okay to come up.  
Clark quirked a brow. "They said?"  
"Oh, well you know ever since the meteor shower I've been able to have this rather strange connection to animals. I know what they're thinking. Robin's a friend of mine." She smiled sweetly. "He thinks we'll be friends too." She offered her hand. Clark slowly took it. She smiled wider.  
"So how are you enjoying your stay at the castle so far?"  
"Well, I've only been here one night. It was awfully windy. Does it always sound like someone's crying?"   
"Ah, so then you heard it."  
"Who?"  
"The manor ghost." Chloe grinned. "The house is haunted. And at night you can hear the lost ghost crying. Spooky huh."  
"But ghosts aren't real right." Clark frowned. Martha had always assured him not to be scared of the closet and the dark space under a bed. Ghosts, weren't real.  
"Clark, this is Smallville. How long have you lived here. Ghosts aren't real, but people can't talk with animals either. Come on, I'll show you something." Chloe grabbed Clark's arm and dragged him along behind her. They reached a shed after a bit.  
"This is my secret fort." Said Chloe lightly as she shoved open the door. Instead of housing gardening tools one wall was filled with newspaper clippings and photos. "I call it the wall of weird." Said Chloe conspiratorially. "Everything weird that's happened since the meteor shower. My animal connection, other people who received strange powers. That's right around the time Luthor's son went missing too. They say it was his disappearance that killed his mother. She died of grief, crazy and claiming well…I was glad I didn't live here then. If there's a ghost it's probably her looking for her lost child." Chloe nodded confidently. Clark shivered. He'd fallen in that meteor shower, his parents had never kept it from him, the fact that he was an alien. But he knew they were right when they said to keep it a secret. Could this somehow be his fault. Clark reached out a hand to touch the wall as if to somehow make it not real, but it stayed firm beneath his fingers, the grain of the weathered wood like old cloth.  
"So Clark, where were you when the meteors hit?"  
"Uh….I don't really remember. I was adopted right after the shower so I don't even know if I was in Smallville yet." Clark half-truthed, though more than half lied.  
"Oh, well. Maybe then you won't be special. The special people tend to be a little scary, let me tell you, but the animals know and they've helped me out so far. I'll be sure to warn you if anything's coming. And I'm sorry about your parents that must have been horrible." Clark nodded mutely still staring at the wall.  
"Well, I have to go" said Chloe. "You can stay as long as you like." Clark nodded and she blew out the door.

Clark continued to wander the garden. He thought he'd seen it all but there was this one area, almost in the center with a tall hedge around it that he just couldn't seem to get by. He was sure there was more garden in there but he couldn't find an entry anywhere. He decided he'd climb a tree to see what lay beyond the hedge. He climbed quickly up and dropped down on the other side. It was indeed a garden. And a very dead one at that, it was gray and brown and all frosty looking with weeds everywhere. Clark wandered for a while but soon lost interest. He used his x-ray vision to see through the hedge then sure the coast was clear lightly leaped it. Then walked back to the castle. He wandered around the castle, searching for the way back to his room and undeniably lost. He stumbled upon Mr. Luthor quite by accident. As Lois had predicted he was in the library. He looked up sharply when Clark nudged the door open, silencing the opera that had been playing in the background. There was a fire roaring in the grate but the room kept its chill and Lionel sat in an arched-back chair with a decanter of some amber liquid.  
"I'm sorry for disturbing you." Clark started.  
"Who's that?"  
"It's Clark Kent, sir, are you my uncle Lionel."  
"Yes I am, good morning child."  
"Are you going to be my father now?"  
"I'm to be your guardian though I'm a poor one for any child. I offer you my-"  
"Is this my aunt Lilly in this picture?"  
"Yes it is, where did you ge-"  
"Is she a ghost now?"  
"Why have you heard her?"  
"I heard someone crying in the house last night. But I don't really think about ghosts. Is my father a ghost now? Does everyone who dies become a ghost?"  
"Their only a ghost if someone alive is holding on to them. I offer you my deepest sympathies on your arrival."

After speaking with Lionel Clark went back out into the garden. He still had more time till supper and he didn't want to spend it in the big cold house. He contemplated going back into the hidden garden. As he was standing there Chloe rushed up to him again.  
"So, how've you been, the robin said you were here." Clark shrugged.  
"Whose garden is this?"  
"Oh," Chloe said in a hushed voice, "That's Miss Lilly's garden. It was her favorite. After she died Mr. Luthor closed it up and buried the key. I've always wondered how to get in. It was supposed to have been so beautiful. It was Martha's favorite too. They worked on it together, I've seen the pictures. They were both so young and beautiful. Even your father was there. I've always wanted to get in."  
"Have you ever asked your animal friends to help you find the key? Or the door?" Chloe smiled.  
"I hadn't thought of that." She whistled to the robin. Clark sighed. It had looked so dead, but if his mother had worked there. Clark was beginning to realize she wasn't coming back. His life was gone forever, just like the garden was dead; maybe it would make more sense if he could wake it up. Chloe giggled next to him.  
"I never thought it'd be so easy!" she cheered. A mole was toddering toward them dragging an ornate iron key and the robin fluttered over a particular patch of ivy. "It's been right here all along! Come on Clark, let's go see."

Clark feared she'd be disappointed by the dead garden but Chloe continued to smile.  
"Why, it's dead Chloe."  
"No, Clark, it's asleep, I can tell. It's like with the animals, only fainter, but it's there. All this garden needs is love. It's what you'd call "wick" Clark, green on the inside dead on the outside, you just have to give it the chance and the space. A little work and by spring, it'll grow."  
"Really?" Clark asked, he remembered his mother working in the garden, and helping his father with hay and planting, how he'd be taught to spread the seeds evenly, not all would grow but all deserved a chance. He smiled "I want to help. What do I do?"  
"Come by tomorrow. I'll ask my father for some seeds. You'll see. We'll have the prettiest garden you ever saw, most of its right here already. It's almost magical; I think together we could do anything!" She grinned and skipped off. Clark shut the door carefully behind him as he left. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad.

At dinner Clark decided to ask Lionel, not directly of course. But the man was his guardian and this was his land.  
"May I have a garden sir?" Clark asked. Lionel blinked.   
"A garden."  
"I enjoy being outside, with my father I helped farm, and Mom and I would always work in the garden together, it reminds me of being happy." Lionel shrugged, wiping his lips with a napkin.  
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt. We'll send you off to boarding school next fall, but for now through the summer, it wouldn't be a problem. I'll have one of the gardeners show you a spot."  
"Oh, no I've already found the perfect place; I'm going to work on it with Chloe."  
"The Sullivan girl, well I suppose. Shouldn't she be in school? As long as you don't distract her from her studies, I'll speak with her father. But yes, you may have a bit of earth. Do you need some seeds?"  
"Oh please sir, I'd be so grateful."  
Lionel nodded with a strange expression on his face and stood up from the table.  
"They're predicting another storm, be in your room and close all the shutters tonight." He left the room, and Clark sitting alone at the long table. Clark shivered, at both the cold and the beginning pick up of wind. It would be howling tonight. Clark hated storms. He had good reason too, enough bad things came in from storms left with storms and made a right mess by way of storms. Clark was almost glad when Lois and all her sarcasm blew in to steal his unfinished meal out from under him and hurry him off to bed.

Clark clutched the duvet to his chin. The wailing was worse tonight, or maybe it was his own ears. They seemed to be getting keener by the minute. They shorted in and out and he almost thought he could hear the ants burrowing in the earth stocking up against the storm. And then his hearing would shift and he could hear the creaking of the window panes as if he stood right next to them, then his own breathing then the wailing. It wasn't ghostly though. It sounded like someone crying. It didn't sound like a voice he knew though. The sobs tore at his heart. But it was more screaming than tears. Clark shivered, he'd never be able too sleep like this. Out side the rain was lashing the house and the whole world was a dark black. Inside it was dank and quiet except for that howling over the sound of the storm, almost part of the sound of the storm. If it, whatever it was, was going to keep him awake, he'd go find it and tell it to be quite. Clark Kent didn't believe in ghosts, someone in the house was crying and he would find out who. He slipped out of bed tiptoeing out of his room and keeping his ears trained on the sound of that lonely voice. Eventually his ears led him to a huge tapestry. Clark recognized it as a picture of Lillian, his aunt. He looked deeper with his x-ray vision and saw behind it not a wall but a passage. Clark gulped, but he had nothing to be scared of, why would someone keep a secret passage for meteor rocks, it wasn't like anything else could hurt him. Gathering his courage he pushed past the tapestry and slid down the long hall as quietly as he could. At the end of the hall was a room. The crying was definitely coming from behind it. Clark took a deep breath and pushed it open. Behind the door was a room. Clark shut the door behind himself out of habit, almost immediately the noise of the outer world died. Clark narrowed his eyes but could see nothing beyond the shut door; apparently the walls were made of lead. He turned; the room held a bed and other amenities, in the bed was a boy. Clark started and the boy seemed equally surprised to see him. The boy blinked then yelled.  
"Get OUT!"  
"Who are you?" Clark responded  
"Are you a ghost?" The boy looked at him quizzically, intrigued.  
"No I'm not I'm Clark Kent. Lionel Luthor is my uncle. Who are you?" Clark repeated.  
"I'm Lex Luthor and Lionel Luthor is my father. I see no one and no one sees me, including my father. I am going to die." The boy in the bed raised his head, it was bald and seemed to balance peculiarly large over his thin body and neck like an egg on stilts.  
"How do you know?" Clark asked genuinely curious, maybe this boy had a power like Chloe had suggested about the other residents of Smallville.  
"Because I hear every whisper about it. I shan't live. Where do you come from?"  
"Near by, Smallville. My parents died in a tornado." Clark shrugged.  
"My mother's dead too. That's why my father hates me." Lex said matter-of-factly  
"Why do you scream all the time? Do you have bad dreams? I can't seem to sleep in this house either." Lex nodded, tentatively smiling.  
"I've never had a visitor before. They said it wouldn't be good for me, but I don't mind you. I mind my father. He's always so…well; he's my father and a Luthor. He named me Alexander after Alexander the great. Can't stand that his son is like this." Lex waved a hand at himself. Clark nodded, that made sense, but why would Lionel hide his son away in the depths of the house.  
"It's like the garden" Clark mused.  
"The garden?" Lex asked curiously.  
"There's this old dead garden out there, but Chloe, she's the chambermaid's cousin. She says that it's still alive and we'll make it pretty by spring. That garden, I think your father hates it too, and he hides it away and lets it die. He's letting you die isn't he?" Lex nodded slowly, looking around as if scared.  
"I hear what he says when he thinks I'm not listening. I could get better, but he thinks it's pointless; he couldn't save her you know. I got like this when the meteors came down. You know I used to be sick all the time, then the meteors came down and I was suddenly very healthy, but that couldn't last, I was too healthy, germs and things help a person live, you know. My father he knows this, if he keeps me in here, sterile I'll die eventually. That's why no body sees me. It wasn't this way at first, at first they quarantined me to help me get better, didn't know it was wrong, I just got sicker and sicker and so mother got sicker too. She died. My father thinks I killed her, thinks it's my disease, now he won't let me out even though the doctors say this is killing me. If I could just go outside once, but he wouldn't allow it." Lex sighed leaning back into the pillows.  
"That's horrible." Clark exclaimed. Lex nodded agreement.  
"But I'm glad you're here Clark, you already make me feel a bit better." Lex smiled and Clark decided in that moment that he would save Lex. "I'll get you out of here!" He smiled back. Lex laughed.  
"I wish you could, you'd have to be a super human to do that. My father. Well he's not very nice, he won't let you." Lex suddenly paled. "He can't know you were here, if he knew." Almost as if Lex speaking had jinxed them the door began to creak open. "Quick, hide!" Lex squeaked. Clark dove for the closet, shutting it just in time. Two figures came in; they were wearing full body suits like Clark had read about on astronauts. They reached out with their big plastic hands and Lex shrank back. It was like something out of a nightmare. They plucked Lex out of the bed. Clark noticed how Lex's legs hung limply, they weren't right some how. He used his x-ray vision and sure enough the muscles of Lex's legs were severely deteriorated and miss-formed. As Clark watched the two plastic covered people lowered Lex onto a table that was as long as he was tall against the far wall. Clark hadn't paid it particular notice when he came in. As he watched they strapped Lex down to it. The other boy barely struggled. Then the taller of the figures pulled out a small object like a remote. It was pressed and Lex's entire body seized. The scream was like nothing Clark had ever heard. He never wanted to hear it again. It was worse than all the crying of the past night. Clark's ears seemed to be switching very fast between better and worse until he could hear nothing but white noise and Lex's scream, it seemed to go on for a very long time. But Clark remembered Lex's words to not be found so he curled in a ball in the bottom of the closet and closed his eyes tightly after what seemed like forever, it stopped. Clark looked out and the others were gone. Lex was back in the bed, sweating and pale. Clark tottered out of the closet and rushed to the bedside collapsing beside it.  
"Are you…." Lex shook his head.  
"I'll be fine, I heal quickly. You see why I can't escape, its worse when I try. They do it so I can't walk far; it messes with my muscles, something like that. If I could think enough to research it I'm sure I could find an answer, but I can't think. I'm sorry you had to see that Clark. You should go before you're missed." Clark nodded, reaching out to softly touch the crown of Lex's head; it was smooth and clammy under his touch. Lex's eyes closed and he relaxed. Clark snuck out of his room as quickly and quietly as he could. He swore he was going to rescue the other boy. Now he had to talk with Chloe.

Clark barely slept, images of poor Lex in his mind, but when he opened his eyes it was already light so he must have slept some. Lois had left breakfast and a note but not woken him. Clark was glad once for her busy annoyance. He ate quickly and ran to the garden to find Chloe. The girl stared at him incredulously as he told her the story of what he'd witnessed.  
"I'll have to tell my cousin." Chloe said immediately when he'd finished. "You're right; we have to save that boy. That's so horrible. I can't imagine what I'd do if someone locked me up for my powers. You don't think Lionel knows what I can do?"  
"I don't think he cares about you at all." Clark admitted. "Are you sure telling Lois is a good idea? She does work for him."  
"She does, but she cares more about wrongs and justice than she does about who her employer is. Actually she's not working for Lionel, that's just a cover. She works for a newspaper. It's called the Daily Planet. She's a mole."  
"Like in the ground?"  
"No silly, a spy, for the paper, she's working on a story that will bring Lionel down, he's not a very nice man, he's hurt a lot of people, since his wife died he's never been the same. To be keeping his own son to his death…that's just awful. We'll save him Clark. I'm going to find Lois. Stay in the garden, Lionel doesn't know you found it so he won't look for you there. I'll be back soon."

Clark wandered through the dead garden, raking away dead leaves and pulling up weeds and adding things into the dead leaf piles. As he worked he was planning. How could he keep Lex safe? He'd have to tell the other boy about his own powers, and Chloe too, if they used all their talents, Chloe's animals, Clarks strength and vision, maybe they could stay out of sight and enough a step ahead to escape Lionel. As he explored the garden Clark found both a small garden that seemed to once have been for vegetables, and there were two fruit trees near by. The more Clark looked around the more Clark saw, a tall trees, and lake and stream, the stream ran out under the hedge but the lake had fish in it. And there was a very small house. It was more like Chloe's shack an old gardening shed, but it was dry and had a chimney, a gardener might have once lived there. Clark was forming a plan. Who would look for flies in a hornets nest? They might be safe here. Clark cleaned and waited for Chloe to return.

Chloe and Lois sat in the shack with him contemplating his proposal.  
"Do you really think it will work?" Asked Chloe.  
"It has to, if we ran there'd be people after us, here we can keep an eye on everything and run if we need to, I'm fast, but at least this gives us a head start, they won't look here, they'll try the rest of the globe first. Lionel doesn't know me at all. We'll be okay. We can provide for ourselves from in here, and Lois and Chloe you two can help if push comes to shove, we'll all have to be very careful, but you're right that no one comes in here; we'll be undisturbed and undetected. I don't think I could get Lex very far anyways.  
"Okay. I believe you. When are we kidnapping him?" asked Chloe. Lois nodded. "I'll try what I can. I already know subterfuge; one more thing against Lionel is just the crème frosting." She smirked. Clark nodded.  
"I was hoping tonight, which means we have a lot of short order work to make this place livable fast. I need to steal quilts and sheets and bedding mattresses and stuff, and wood and we need to clean it and plates and, oh I don't know. It's a good plan but…"  
"Do you really think you should steal all that today? If you're caught it will be suspicious. Just pack your own things and get ready to grab your bedding. I'll do what I can, and we can fill the rest in over the rest of the week." said Lois. Clark nodded, sighing.  
"I should get back to the house then. It's almost dinner."

Dinner was a quiet affair again. Lionel didn't speak and Clark kept his eyes on his plate afraid he'd give away his plans if he looked at the other man. After dinner Clark gathered his belongings hiding them under his bed. Then he waited, fully dressed and humming with nervous energy. The clock struck ten. Clark opened his window and tossed down his luggage to Chloe who was waiting below. She ran off with his bags. Clark waited, entirely nervous and anxious. At ten thirty she was back and Clark tossed down his bedding. Chloe again caught them and rushed off into the night. The next bit was all Clark. He closed his eyes and gathered his breath. The clock struck 11. Using x-ray vision Clark maneuvered slowly down the corridors keeping an ear out for any out of place sound. He made his way to the tapestry of Lillian. He slid it out of the way and padded down the corridor. He prayed silently before shoving the lead door open. The fates were smiling on him for the room was empty save for the bed's lone occupant. Lex rolled over to smile at him as he stepped into the room.  
"I didn't think you'd be back after last night." The other boy smiled genuinely. Clark nodded.  
"It was horrible; I swore to myself I'd get you out, so I'm back. We've got a plan, you're coming with me." Lex looked surprised, then beamed.   
"I'd love to. You're my hero. Now get me out of here." He raised his arms like a baby, unable to move his legs Clark paused only a moment before scooping the other boy up.  
"I hope you run fast." Lex smiled, "Because they've bugged this room, they're probably coming already. I didn't know it was bugged till my father visited today. I'm glad we're leaving, he wasn't very happy. This way at least I'll die defying him. Right?" Lex's grin was a on the edge of hysterical and desperate. The room was bugged. Clark's chest seized he was a fast runner, he only hoped fast enough. He tore out of the corridor. As he moved things seemed slow down, he'd run fast before, but never this fast. Lex laughing lightly into his neck only seemed to make him go faster. The boy cradled tightly against his chest he zigzagged all over the state leaving tracks and sightings enough to confuse a very smart tracking dog. Then more stealthily he crept back to the manor and leaped into the garden.

"Wow. I didn't know it was possible to run that fast. Is am I just really deformed and that's normal or are you special? Like me?" Clark placed Lex gently down on the bed in the cottage.  
"I'm special. I can run fast, and see through things and leap very high, I'm strong too, but that's about it I think." Lex nodded as if that makes sense.  
"Sounds like you got the better of our gifts." He smiled, Clark shrugged. There was a nock on the door. Lex stiffened.  
"It's okay, that's Chloe. Lex I have two people to introduce you to. They helped us." Chloe and Lois quickly came inside.  
"They're already looking for you." Lois said immediately. "They don't quite know what happened yet though. You're lucky you're so fast Kent. Like my cousin?"  
"Your cousin's that fast?" Lex asked perplexed.   
"I'm her cousin, that's Lois, I'm Chloe, I have this talent, I can communicate with animals." Lex's eyes widened.   
"Really? That's so cool!" Chloe laughed.  
"I think so, not always useful, but I always have company. It's nice to meet you Lex Luthor. I thought you'd died, most people did. I'm sorry about what an asshole your father turned out to be." Lex shook his head, his smile was bright and clear, even though a pack of dogs and men might be trying to find him, he wasn't alone. Clark smiled back at both of them. They were strange together, and with all three of their powers how could they fail? They would find an answer to Lionel's tyranny.  
"Well, hate to break up the mutant love-fest; I've got to put in appearance at the castle before his liege thinks I'm an accomplice. I'll see you guys later." Lois took off. Chloe stayed a while longer but also had to go, she had school the next day, as it would be Monday.

Clark and Lex sat in quiet in front of the crackling fire in the cottage in the secret garden on Lionel's own property. Clark wondered about the smoke but Chloe had assured him as it was with the cloud cover and rain and surrounding trees it would be okay. Clark was glad for the warmth, Lex was looking better by the minute. His head seemed to fit on his neck when he was wearing Clark's hand-me-downs, his skin wasn't as pale, in fact he seemed to be healing himself at a remarkable pace. Lex didn't squirm under Clark's scrutiny instead offered up his hands for inspection, where the table's cuffs had bit his wrists there wasn't even a scratch or abrasion.  
"I heal." He stated simply. "I'll be right as rain by tomorrow morning. That's my big talent. Nothing like either of you. I'm sorry I brought you all this trouble. I've never had friends before. Can I call you a friend, I want to?" Lex seemed so young, slowly working at kicking his legs to swing beneath him an expression of honesty and every once in a while a twinge of pain on his features.  
"Yes, I'm you're friend. I haven't had many friends before either. My parents always wanted to keep my powers a secret. I'm not actually human. You are, you're just affected by the meteor rocks, I…I was in the meteor rocks, I came down in the meteor shower." Lex's eyes glowed with interest.  
"Really, so you're an alien?" Clark flinched but Lex wasn't mad or staring at him in disgust, he seemed excited.   
"My best friend is an alien, that's so cool. I always hoped that someone would come down form heaven to rescue me and you fall out of the sky and steal me from my father. It's like fate!" Lex laughed and it wasn't so hysterical, rather happy, hopeful. Clark couldn't help laughing in response.  
"Yeah, I guess so. First though, we have to deal with your father. Then, we can figure out what to do with the rest of the world. I wonder how many other people affected by meteors there are, you, Chloe, maybe we could do something with those powers. Save the world from people like your father. I like doing good things." Clark stated, looking at his nails. He saw Lex nod out of the corner of his eye, then yawn.  
"Are you tired?"  
"Yeah."  
"We should sleep then. Chloe'll come by in the morning. There's a garden with food, and a lake with fish, we should be all right. Then we have to plan. But you and me, we'll make it." Lex nodded, lying back on the cot he'd been sitting on. Clark helped tuck him in then lay down on the pile of excess blankets on the floor next to Lex's bed. It was comfortable enough, if a bit firmer than he was used to.  
"Wake me up if you need anything; try not to scream loudly enough to wake the manor." Clark joked lightly, he knew about bad dreams, the seldom went away, however he hoped being out from under his fathers villainous thumb might do the trick. Either way they had a long struggle ahead of them. Clark was lulled to sleep by Lex's slow breathing. He had someone to protect, a purpose. His adoptive parents had always told him he'd find it. Jonathan was a farmer and when Clark had wondered about his life, how he could live without showing the world his gifts Jonathan had told him that one day he'd meet his calling and everything would fall into place. On that day his gifts would help him and he wouldn't have to keep them such a secret anymore, he'd know how to use them and what to use them for, when he knew that then he'd know his purpose. His father had said he had a great purpose, would do great things. Clark now knew he was right. He would do great things. First he'd save Lex and then he and Lex, together, would save the world. With their powers, it was possible. Lionel was just a small challenge. Clark would make things right, and Lex would help.


End file.
